Rent or Own Your Website? The Math Agencies Don't Do in Front of You

Thousands of Quebec businesses pay every month for a website they don't own. It isn't always a bad deal, but it is one if nobody has shown you the total.

What is a "rented" website?

It's a website hosted on the agency's platform, often built with its own in-house tool, that you pay for monthly: $99, $199 or $399 depending on the number of pages. You don't receive the files or the design, and sometimes not even the domain name. As long as you pay, the site exists. The day you stop, it disappears.

The model is very common in Quebec, and the companies that use it aren't crooks: it's a coherent business model — for them. The question is whether it makes sense for you.

The three-year math

Renting wins for the first two years; that's its sales pitch. It starts losing at month 27 and costs more over the life of the site. And it ignores resale value: a website you own is a business asset; a rented website appears nowhere on your balance sheet.

The five clauses to read before you sign

• Term and renewal. 24 or 36 months, with automatic renewal? Look for the exact end date and the notice required to cancel.
• The domain name. Is it registered in YOUR name, with a registrar you can log into? If the agency holds it, it controls your address — and with it your email, your business cards and your search rankings.
• What you get if you leave. Nothing? An export of your text? The full site for a fee? The answer must be in writing.
• Changes. "Unlimited" sometimes means "whenever we get around to it." Ask for the guaranteed response time.
• Extras. A second language, an extra page, Quebec's Law 25 compliance: are they included or billed separately, and monthly or once?

When renting makes sense

Let's be honest: if you're launching a business without knowing whether it will exist in eighteen months, a short rental with no commitment can be reasonable. The problem isn't the monthly payment; it's the monthly payment with no end and no transfer. A good monthly plan has a written date when the website becomes yours. That's exactly the difference between a payment plan and rent.

How to get out of a rental without losing everything

• First, check who holds the domain (a WHOIS lookup is enough). If it's in your name, you already have what matters most.
• Request an export of your content in writing. Your text and images almost always belong to you, even if the design doesn't.
• Have the new website built before you cancel, then switch the domain over the same day: no downtime, and no loss of search rankings if the redirects are done properly.
• If the domain is in the agency's name, demand the transfer. In Quebec, holding back the domain of a client who has paid is a fight few agencies are willing to take on.

Unsure about your current situation? Our free 45-point inspection checks exactly who owns your domain and your website — the part nobody usually shows you.